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Welcome to 'What is a passkey?'. Passwords can be frustrating. You need lots of unique passwords to access and manage your online accounts. But passwords can be long and complicated, which makes them hard to remember and type. And sometimes they can end up in the wrong hands. A passkey is an easier and faster way to log in to many websites and apps. It's safer too. So let's take a closer look.
A passkey replaces a password with a unique digital key created for you by your phone, tablet, or computer. You use your fingerprint, a face scan, or your device PIN to authenticate the digital key as belonging to you. And this ties it to your identity.
The passkey is then stored securely on your device. When you want to log in to one of your online accounts, it's a bit different to using a password, which you must send over the internet and is held by a website or apps. With a passkey, the website or app checks the passkey on your device to confirm you are who you say you are. That's what makes a passkey so secure. Because it never leaves your device, a passkey can't be stolen, guessed, or leaked in data breaches, and you're less likely to be tricked into entering it on a fake website.
Using a passkey is super simple too. You log in the same way as you unlock your phone - with your fingerprint, face ID or device PIN. There's no need to type or remember anything. Your fingerprint and facial scans don't leave your device either, so your biometrics stay private. A passkey requires you to set up PIN, fingerprint, or face unlock on your device. Without this, anyone with your device could use your passkeys to access your online accounts.
Passkeys work on most modern phones, tablets, and computers. If you use Apple Keychain or Google Password Manager, you can synchronise your passkey so you can sign in without hassle on any of your devices. You can also back up your passkeys to Apple iCloud, your Google Account, and some password managers. This allows you to restore your passkeys on a new device, just like you do with your photos and contacts.
Passkeys aren't available on all websites, but many big companies and government services provide it as a preferred option to traditional passwords. There are certainly a lot of reasons to try using passkeys. They are secure and private. They help protect you from scams, remove the stress of passwords, and make logging in as easy as unlocking your phone.